Mars will begin to approach Uranus early Sunday morning (July 31). The pair will be close enough to share the same field of view as seen through binoculars.
Space News & Blog Articles
Jupiter glows in new James Webb Space Telescope raw image
Jupiter always shines, even when seen sideways in unprocessed data.
A 25-ton Chinese rocket booster will crash to Earth today. What's the risk?
The core stage of a Chinese Long March 5B rocket is set to tumble uncontrollably back to Earth today in a reentry that China is tracking closely.
The Mars Sample Return Mission Will Take Two Helicopters to the Red Planet to Help Retrieve Samples
NASA’s upcoming Mars Sample Return mission plan just received a glow-up: it will now carry a pair of twin helicopters, each capable of retrieving samples and delivering them to the ascent vehicle for return to Earth.
Masten Space Systems, a NASA moon landing contractor, files for bankruptcy
A prototype vertical takeoff/vertical landing demonstrator undergoing testing at Masten Space Systems. Credit: Masten Space Systems
Masten Space Systems, a private California company focused on developing lunar and planetary landing vehicles, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Thursday after recent layoffs and funding problems.
Two skyscraper-size asteroids are barreling toward Earth this weekend
Two asteroids, 2016 CZ31 and 2013 CU83, are headed toward Earth for back-to-back flybys this weekend.
NASA taps Draper for first U.S. landing on far side of the moon
An illustration of Draper’s SERIES-2 lunar lander, which will deliver science and technology payloads to the moon for NASA in 2025. Credit: Draper
NASA has awarded Draper a $73 million contract to deliver science instruments to the far side of the moon on a commercial robotic lander in 2025, the eighth award through the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. Officials with the companies flying the first two CLPS missions, Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines, said recently their commercial landers are scheduled to launch late this year or early next year.
Astronomers witness the rare break up of a star couple
What happens when stellar couples break their embrace? New research reveals details of an important life event in the existence of binary stars.
New 3D cosmic map reveals 1 million previously hidden galaxies
Astronomers have created the largest ever 3D map of 1 million distant galaxies otherwise obscured by the Milky Way's dwarf galaxy neighbors, the Magellanic Clouds.
Rocket launches can create shiny clouds far from poles, study shows
Night-shining or noctilucent clouds are popping up farther from the poles, in part due to more rocket launches taking place from Earth.
Mysteries of some atmospheric halos remain unexplained after 5,000 years
The most extensive inventory of atmospheric optical illusions created in 5 millennia of observation reveals lingering mysteries.
Some messy 'coronal loops' on the sun may be an optical illusion
Since the 1960s, researchers have been searching for a 3D model of coronal loops of bright plasma seen on the sun. New research is causing scientists to rethink this phenomenon.
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin targeting Aug. 4 for next space tourist flight
Blue Origin is targeting Thursday (Aug. 4) for the next crewed mission of its New Shepard vehicle, which will send six people to suborbital space and back.
The James Webb is Measuring Distant Galaxies 5-10 Times Better Than any Other Telescope
On December 25th, 2021, after many years of waiting, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) finally launched to space. In the sixth-month period that followed, this next-generation observatory unfurled its Sunshield, deployed its primary and secondary mirrors, aligned its mirror segments, and flew to its current position at the Earth-Sun Lagrange 2 (L2) Point. On July 12th, 2022, the first images were released and presented the most-detailed views of the Universe. Shortly thereafter, NASA released an image of the most distant galaxy ever observed (which existed just 300 million years after the Big Bang).
What is a parsec? Definition and calculation
A parsec is a standard astronomical measurement that is often misunderstood.
A triple meteoric spectacle is set to grace our skies this weekend
This weekend might have three meteor showers active at the same time, combining to provide a celestial firework display almost all through the night.
Galactic 'gem' sparkles in dazzling new Hubble image aided by citizen scientists
An unusual galaxy merger boasts multiple interwoven arms in a newly released Hubble Space Telescope image.
Meteor brightens up the sky above Sydney as peak meteor showers arrive
The peak shooting star season has arrived with six meteor showers expected to pepper Earth in the upcoming weeks as the planet hurtles through fields of cometary debris.
Possible SpaceX debris falls in Australia from Crew-1 Dragon spacecraft
Social media pictures suggest an unpressurized 'trunk' from the SpaceX Crew-1 Dragon spacecraft might have fallen to Earth near Dalgety on July 8, matching re-entry calculations.
When and where will China's big rocket debris fall to Earth this weekend?
A big Chinese rocket body will crash back to Earth tomorrow (July 30), but nobody knows exactly when or where.